Spindle-bearing



UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JOHN KILBURN, OF BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPlNDLE-BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 591,975, dated October 19, 1897.

Application filed December 2,1896. Serial No. 614,258. (No model.)

To all whom, it ntay concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN KILBURN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Belmont,

in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spindle-Bearings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

. The present invention relates to spindles of the self-centering or top type, in which the rotating spindle is adapted to center itself under an unbalanced load. These spin-. dles are commonly made with a tapering end or pintle which fits within a correspondinglytapered bearing in a bolster, the end of the pintle resting upon a support termed a step.

The rapid rotation of the spindle causes the end resting upon the step to wear away or to wear into the step, thus causing the tapered sides of the spindle-pintle to bind within the tapered bearing of the .bolster and to turn with increased friction in the bolster, increasing the power necessary to turn the spindle, resulting in a waste of power, and causing undue wear upon the parts.

It is the object of the present invention to provide in a spindle-bearing a bolster and step which are relatively vertically movable,

to adjust the relative longitudinal positions.

A further objectis to provide, in an'inrproved construction of spindle-support, a receptacle for the accumulation of oiland other matter in the base of the bolster-case.

To the above end the present invention consists of a spindle-s upport comprising a spindle and its bolster, a step movable longitudinally of the bolster by the rotation of the bolster, and frictional contact-surfaces controlling the rotation of the bolster.

It further consists of a bolster adapted to be rotated by an increase of friction between the spindle and bolster, a support for the bolster, and complementary inclined frictional faces between the bolster and its support to determine the amount of friction between the spindle and bolster necessary to turn the bolster, and a step which is movable along the bolster by the rotation thereof.

The present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section through a spindle-support embodying the same, the spindle and other parts being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified form of the invention, and Fig. 3 is a section upon line a: m, Fig. 2, looking upwardly.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, A represents the spindle,

having the tapered pintle a, B the sleevewhirl, O the bolster, and D the bolster-case,

all of which parts except as hereinafter specified may be of any usual or preferred form or arrangement, and in this connection it may be well to state that the present invention is shown in the drawings in connection with what is known as the Whitin spindle; but I desire to state that such spindle hasbeen selected as a convenient means of illustrating the present invention, and that said invention is not in any sense restricted to such application, but may be used in connection'with any other type of spindle desired. In the form of the present invention shown 'in Fig. 1 the bolster O rests upon and is supported by a block or bolster-support E, which rests upon the bottom of the bolster-case D,

or which may be supported in a manner to be hereinafter described. Within the bolster Ois the usual bearing, which as-shownis inclined or tapered at its lower end, and within which the"'spindle pintle a, which is similarly tapered or inclined, rotates. The end of the spindle-pintle a rests uponthe upper end f of a pintle F, the end f forming what is known in the art as a step. It is desirable that the step f be adjustable within the bolster C, to accommodate for the wear of the spindle-pintle or step, to remove the excess of friction caused by the spindlepintle dropping farther into the bearing in the bolster and binding therein as before referred to, and to secure this result the pintle F is arranged to be moved vertically within the bolster, and in this form of the present invention the bolster is designed to be turned by the increase of friction developed between the rotating spindle and the bolster.

To secure the above-suggested result in the form of the present invention shown in Fig. 1, the pintle F, which carries the step f, is threaded at its lower end f and engages a threaded bearing e in the block or bolstersupport E, the upper end of said pintle fitting loosely in and adapted to move vertically in a bearing in the lower end of the bolster C. It is designed that the turning of the bolster 0 shall turn the pintle F in its bearing in the block E, and for this purpose the pintle F is provided with a pin f, which engages a slot 0 in the bolster C, but it is obvious that a portion of the pintle F, which engages the bearing in the bolster 0, could be of a polygonal shape in cross-section, or any shape other than round, and the bearing in the bolster C correspondingly shaped, and the same results secured. The block or bolster-support E is restrained from rotation by any suitable or convenient means, such as the pin e, driven into the lower end thereof and engaging an aperture 61 in the bottom of the bolster-case D.

For the purpose of permitting a slight lateral movement of the block E, to permit the lateral movement of the bolster C, under the efforts of the spindle A to center itself under an unbalanced load, the block is made somewhat smaller than the bore of the bolstercase D, and the recess cl is of such a size relatively to the pin 6 that said pin may have a slight lateral movement in said recess. The above-suggested arrangement is such that a rotation of the bolster G will turn the pintle F, and by means of the threaded connection of said pintle with the block E, which is restrained from rotation as set forth, the pintle F will be caused to .move vertically within the bolster O and thus raise or lower the step f within said bolster. It is designed that this adjustment of the step f may be accomplished automatically by the rotation of the bolster C with the spindle A whenever the increaseof friction between the spindle and bolster is sufficient for such purpose, and in the present form of my invention I have provided means for determining the amount of friction between the spindle and bolster, to permit the rotating of the bolster by the spindle, and to hold the parts in their adjusted position until the increase of friction between the spindle and bolster shall be sufficient to again rotate the bolster, as set forth. 4 As shown in the present form of my invention, the means for determining the amount of friction between spindle and bolster comprises complementary contact-faces which are conveniently arranged between the bolster O and the bolster-support E and which are adapted to be forced in close contact by the weight of the bolster or the spindle and bolster,.and thus retard the rotation of the bolster 0. As shown in the drawings, these complementary contact-faces are formed by the outer surface 0 of the lower end of the bolster C and the interior wall 6 of the cupshaped cavityc formed in the upper end of the bolster-support E, within which the lower end of the bolster O fits and is supported. The angle or inclination of these complementary contact-faces determines the amount of friction between the spindle and bolster to rotate the bolster. The more closely the inclination of the contact-faces approaches the perpendicular without being perpendicular the greater the friction between the contact-faces.

The complementary contact-faces c and 0 while being shown as inclined in the drawings need not necessarily be so formed in all y cases, as in some instances sufficient friction may be produced by permitting the base of the bolster O to come in contact with the top of the block E, or the faces 0 and (2 may be made vertical, the relative sizes of the bottom of the bolster and the recess or cavity 6 being such as to bring the faces 0 and 0 into close contact.

The operation of the invention as above described is as follows: The parts being in the position as shown in Fig. 1, as the rapid rotation of the spindle A causes the pintle a to wear away, or to wear into the step f, the spindle will drop farther into the bearing in the bolster O and the tapered end of the pintle a will engage the tapered bearing in the bolster with increased friction, and whenever the friction is sufficient to overcome the friction between the complementary contactfaces on the bolster and its support the bolster C will be rotated and will turn the pintle F in-its bearing in the block or support E, and by means of the threaded connection between said pintle F and block or support E the pintle F will be moved vertically in the bolster 0, thus lifting the step f and cansing the friction between the spindle and bolster to be diminished, the complementary contact-faces holding the parts in the position to which they have been adjusted until the friction between the spindle and bolster shall be increased by the wear of the parts, as before stated, to again cause the spindle to rotate the bolster. It is of course obvious that the adjustment of the pintle F as set forth may be accomplished by turning the bolster by a suitable tool in the hands of the operator.

In the form of the present invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the parts are thesame as in Fig. 1, with the exception that the threaded portion f of the pintle F engages a threaded bearing in the bottom of the bolster O, and

it is provided with a polygonal head f which loosely engages a polygonal aperture 6 in the block or bolster-support E. In these views also is illustrated a manner in which the bolster-support may be supported, to provide a space in the bottom of the bolster-case D for the accumulation of any oily dirt or sediment which may find its way into the bolster-case. At some distance above the bottom of the bolster-easel) are two or more pins or bars G, which are driven into the walls of the bolstercase, preferably parallel, as shown, which bars support the bolster-support E, the bars G being so placed as to permit a free movement of the lower en d of the pintle F therebetween. When the block or bolster-support is thus supported, the pin e, which restrains the bolster-support from rotation, engages with one of the pins or bars G.

The operation of this form of my invention is as follows: The rotation of the bolster C by an increase of friction between the spindle and bolster will, by means of the threaded connection between the bolster C and pintle F, cause the pintle to move vertically in said bolster, thus adjusting the step f, as before described. It is of course obvious that any usual packing may be placed around the bolster within the bolster-case or said bolster may be surrounded by a packing or film of oil, as desired.

Having thus fully described my invention and its mode of operation, I claim as novel and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States 1. The combination with the bolster and its support, of complementary frictional contact-faces arranged to control the rotation of the bolster without affecting its longitudinal position, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the bolster and its support, of inclined complementary frictional contact-faces arranged to control the rotation of the bolster Without affecting its longitudinal position, substantially as de scribed.

3. The combination with the spindle and its step, the bolster, and bolster-support, of.

means to cause the step to move vertically within the bolster upon the rotation of the bolster, and complementary frictional contact-faces between the bolster and its support, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the bolster-case having a closed bottom, bolster, and bolster support within the bolster-case, of bars or pins fixed in the walls of the bolster-case for supporting the bolster-support above the bottom of the bolster-case to form an oilchamber beneath the bolster-support, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the bolster and ranged to hold the parts in their adjusted position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN KILBURN. Witnesses A. E. WHYTE, A. O. ORNE. 

